Load switches are relatively common and in use with a variety of applications. However, load switches, like other ICs, have limitations and generally employ protection circuitry to prevent failure under certain conditions, like excessive temperature or current. To date, though, load switches have been designed to have continually operating protection circuitry, which can consume a great deal of power. With an increased desire for lower power operation and lower power consumption, these conventional load switches simply do not satisfy these desires. Therefore, there is a need for a low power load switch with protection circuitry.
Some examples of conventional circuit are: U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,701; U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,020; U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,063; U.S. Pat. No. 7,532,448; the FPF2025/6/7 (datasheet) by Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc.; and the TPS22945 (datasheet) by Texas Instruments Incorporated.